Mystical Orison

5 Tracks55 MIN2000 Reissued 2004

℗ Le Chant du Monde — Harmonia Mundi

Several great spiritual figures of the mystical tradition of Western Iran, including Shāh Khoshīn, Bābā Faqīh, Bābā Sarhang, and Bābā Nāūs, most of whom lived between the 9th and 12th centuries, are evoked on this CD through a continuous succession of pieces paying tribute to them. The listener is immersed in the intimacy of a mystical orison of remarkable strength and authenticity, as witnessed by the audience who is eventually overwhelmed with emotion.

Bābā Faqīhī

Bābā Faqīh was among the first companions of Shāh Khoshīn. This eponymous piece is an imploration in which the voice and the instrument both reach an extreme degree of purity: A few notes (A, B, C, D, then Bb) with the counterpoint on the lower string, and a slow, non-dynamic rhythm. The poem sung by Ostad evokes several mystics who sacrificed their lives on the path of divine love. Mansūr Hallāj (d. 922), a martyr celebrated in the East, was put to death after having declared in a moment of ecstasy and mystical union: “I am the Truth.” Another martyr mentioned in the poem, Nasīmī, was skinned alive because he wanted to reveal the mysteries of life and death to the uninitiated. A similar fate awaited Tork-e Sar Borīā (“The Beheaded Turk”) and Zachary.

Dardam az Dūst, darmānam az Dūst
Kofram az khod, īmānam az Dūst
Gar tchon Nasīmī bekanandam pūst
Dast barnadāram ze dāman-e Dūst
Dardam az Haqq, darmānam az Haqq
Kofram az khod, īmānam az Haqq
Gar tchon Zakarīyyā marā konnand shaq,
Dast barnadāram ze dāman-e Haqq
[Dardam az Yār, darmānam az Yār
Kofram az khod, īmānam az Yār]
[Gar tchon Mansūr vār marā keshand dār
Dast barnadāram ze dāman-e Yār]¹
Dardam az Heydar, darmānam az Heydar
Kofram az khod, īmānam az Heydar
Gar tchon Tork-e sar borīā beborānam sar,
Dast barnadāram ze dāman-e Heydar
The source of my ailment stems from the Beloved
My cure lies with the Beloved
The source of my disbelief stems from my own self
The source of my faith is the Beloved
If, like Nasīmī, they should skin me alive
I shall not renounce the Beloved, no, I shall not renounce
The source of my ailment stems from the Truth
My cure lies with the Truth
The source of my disbelief stems from my own self
The source of my faith is the Truth
If, like Zachary, they should saw me in half
I shall not renounce the Truth, no, I shall not renounce
[The source of my ailment stems from the Friend
My cure lies with the Friend
The source of my disbelief stems from my own self
The source of my faith is the Friend]
[If, like Mansūr, they should hang me on the gallows
I shall not renounce my Friend, no, I shall not renounce]
The source of my ailment stems from Heydar²
My cure lies with Heydar
The source of my disbelief stems from my own self
The source of my faith is Heydar
If, like Tork-e Sar Borīā, they should behead me,
I shall not renounce Heydar, no, I shall not renounce

¹ In this version, Ostad Elahi did not sing the two verses in brackets.² One of the names of Ali, the great saint of the Shia tradition and son-in-law of the prophet Muhammad. In this context, Heydar evokes the reflection of the divinity.

Tracklist

Bābā Faqīhī

Mystical Orison

Bābā Faqīhī

Mystical Orison

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